HUNDREDS of people were evacuated this afternoon after fire hit a chemical factory in Kirkby.

The blaze broke out at the Contract Chemicals factory in Knowsley Business Park shortly after 12.20pm.

The company specialises in work with highly dangerous chemicals including bromine,which can cause breathing difficulties if inhaled in small quantities.

Firefighters in protective clothing and breathing apparatus raced to the scene and cordoned off the site.

Police closed the nearby East Lancs Road, and hundreds of workers in nearby offices and factories were forced to evacuate as firefighters battled to stop the blaze from spreading. A police spokeswoman said: "We are assisting our colleagues from Merseyside fire service at the scene of a chemical incident in Knowsley Business Park.

"We were called to a factory on Penryhn Road at around 12.25 pm today following reports of a fire.

"We have since closed a number of roads in the immediate vicinity.

"The A580 East Lancs Road has also been closed as a precautionary measure while the fire is being dealt with.

"A number of premises in the area have been evacuated."

The incident brought traffic chaos to the area surrounding Knowsley Business Park with traffic jams building up as police closed nearby roads.